House Watchdog Says Review Indicates Improper Pay by Rep. Gutierrez to Former Aide

House Committee on Ethics Said It Was Still Reviewing Case

WASHINGTON—An independent congressional watchdog said there was "substantial reason to believe" Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D., Ill.) improperly paid his former chief of staff for work in his office, but the House Committee on Ethics said Monday it was still reviewing the case.

A joint statement from the top two members of the ethics committee said they would continue to gather additional information on the issue, noting in a release that the review doesn't mean any violation of House ethics rules has occurred. A spokesman for Mr. Gutierrez said in a statement that the would continue to cooperate with the ethics committee.

The case revolves around Mr. Gutierrez's decision in 2003 to retain former chief of staff
Doug Scofield
to provide staff development and other services to his congressional office. Mr. Scofield was paid nearly $600,000 over roughly 10 years under the contract, according to the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent, nonpartisan board that reviews the conduct of House lawmakers and their staff.

Mr. Gutierrez's office has said the contract with Mr. Scofield was repeatedly reviewed and approved by the appropriate House panels. But the Office of Congressional Ethics, in a report released Monday, said the arrangement may have violated federal laws and House rules. Given his relationship with Mr. Scofield, the independent ethics watchdog said in its report, "Representative Gutierrez knew or should have known that the services provided by Mr. Scofield exceeded those permitted by the House."

The report notes Mr. Scofield and two other former employees in Mr. Gutierrez's office refused to be interviewed by the Office of Congressional Ethics. The independent group said Mr. Scofield did initially provide documents but later declined to be interviewed and stopped responding to requests for information.

Douglas Rivlin,
a spokesman for Mr. Gutierrez, said in a statement that the report shows his office sought to get appropriate approval for the contract with Mr. Scofield.

"The report reflects that Congressman Gutierrez's office submitted the entire contract for review by both the Committee on House Administration and the finance office of the House of Representatives before Mr. Scofield performed any work," Mr. Rivlin said.

Created in 2008, the Office of Congressional Ethics investigates potential misconduct by House members and their staff. Each case is subject to a multistage review process and board members must vote to refer a case to the ethics committee for review.